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A few words from a "Non-theist". [1]

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Date: 2023-02-20  

As a not particularly good non-theist Buddhist [what a mouthful], raised a Lutheran and partnered with a Catholic, the existence of god, gods and other “superior” beings is an unnecessary irrelevancy.

Buddha pretty much agreed with this, as he neither confirmed nor denied, when asked if he was a god.

When the Buddha started to wander around India shortly after his enlightenment, he encountered several men who recognized him to be a very extraordinary being. They asked him: "Are you a god?" "No," he replied. "Are you a reincarnation of god?" "No," he replied."Are you a wizard, then?" "No." "Well, are you a man?" "No." "So what are you?" They asked, being very perplexed. Buddha simply replied: "I am awake." Buddha means “the awakened one.” How to awaken is all he taught.

The most common questions I face are:

What do you believe in?

What about reincarnation?

My reply is “you are asking the wrong type of questions, it is not about faith nor beliefs, it is about a state of mind.”

I have always regarded “religions” as a form of societal control, usually run by men, hence they have never “spoken” to me.

I have never regarded “faith” as an excuse for actions/inactions, and usually cringe when a sentence begins with “I believe”, my ears tend to switch to “mute”. All that matters is “what actions follow”.

To me, faith should be replaced by trust and trust can only come from the resultant actions, are they good, worthwhile, relevant and do they help.

Well then what does Buddhism do for you?

Well, it helps me keep my anxiety/dyslexia cycle under control, but once again, it is not really a relevant question.

As Buddha pointed out, “the issues of our life are defined by our questions”.

I would expand that to: “the questions you ask show more about you than any answer that might be given.”

As a Buddhist and a member of the LGBT+ community, I am not concerned with what people believe in, but how they actually behave.

Namaste/Greetings to you.

Or, as Lu-Tze said in the Thief of Time [by Terry Pratchett]

“When in doubt, choose to live.”

Or to quote Newton’s third law

“For every action (force) in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

~

This diary was more inspired by, rather than a reply to:

A few more words from an atheist

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/20/2153969/-A-few-words-from-a-Non-theist

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